1. Field
The present invention relates generally to continuous voice authentication for a mobile device.
2. Relevant Background
Today, the use of mobile electronic devices is widespread. Such mobile devices can provide a user with wireless phone access, Internet access, allow the user to perform on-line transactions such as on-line shopping, on-line banking, as well as other applications such as finding maps to particular locations, etc. Thus, today's mobile devices allow for wireless communication as well as almost all of the Internet features associated with non-mobile computer systems. Examples of such mobile electronic devices include: mobile devices, smart phones, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, mobile computers, etc.
Thus, today, the use of mobile electronic devices is widespread. Mobile devices can increase a user's productivity and quality of life, but, unfortunately, they are susceptible to loss, theft, or unauthorized use. Mobile devices often carry private, confidential, and/or difficult-to-replace data, and the loss of such data further compounds the loss of the mobile device. Although a mobile device that has been lost or stolen can be physically replaced, oftentimes the data stored on such a device is confidential and/or irreplaceable.
Additionally, the authorized user of a lost or stolen mobile device may have to deal with ramifications such as the misuse of information or someone else gaining access to information stored on the mobile device. Further, it is not uncommon for hours or even days to lapse before the authorized user of the mobile device discovers the loss, and during that time, an unauthorized user may be accessing sensitive data, misappropriating information, making national and international phone calls, or riding up charges for goods or service on the authorized user's accounts through on-line purchases and transactions.
Various techniques to prevent unauthorized use of mobile devices such as locking features that utilize codes or PIN numbers to unlock mobile devices have been used. Unfortunately, these authorization schemes are often not utilized by users therefore they are ineffective. Moreover, these types of authorization schemes can be easily overcome by thieves—since they are short and often predictable, so as to be memorable to users.
As previously described, mobile devices, and in particular, cellular phones, are increasingly used not only for phone communication but for other purposes as well by an ever increasing amount of the population. Moreover, especially, in developing countries, mobile devices are the only types of phones being utilized. With the potential threat of theft and unauthorized use of mobile devices, improved techniques to prevent the fraudulent use of mobile devices are continuously sought after.